Old IPAs - What to do about this problem?

Just to double-check, you are storing your beer at room temperature?

Cheers!

 

Isn't it something? I got from kettle to keg in 9 days with a 5 day dry hop with my last batch (tend to make things around 7% that border on single and double IPAs). May be vexing for a new brewer but do some research on water chemistry. Hardness and Chloride-to-sulphate ratios are a good starting point. Night and day since I started treating my water

 

Bill, thank you again for your contribution(s). Allow me to ask one more question. You said, "for most of our hop forward beers". But, do you perform such thorough sensory evaluation with all of your beers? In my opinion incredibly fresh beer can do wonders for numerous styles, not just IPAs (or hop forward beers).

And obviously some can age quite well, your Bigfoot Barleywine being perhaps the most famous example.

 

From what I have seen every beer vendor lets their beer ship warm. If fresh beer is a selling point it should probably be shipped with milk and eggs at the grocery store. I think ultra fresh beer is something that can be marketed but the beer distribution model is way entrenched and out of line with great freshness and handling, around here at least.

 

I always do one or the other. Sometimes both!

I think once more and more people have great hoppy beers being made locally, the likes of Lagunitas and Stone are going to be awfully sorry they built those new breweries to sling their hoppy beers nationwide. The only thing I'd even consider from any of the nationwide brands ahead of a trip to Tired Hands would be some cans of Sucks. And they don't make cans of Sucks.

 

I pick up my IPAs at a store that doesn't keep a ton of stock on hand, but gets in fresh stock regularly. I actually went to get some Double Jack today for a trade and they were sold out. But there will be some exceptionally fresh stuff there on Thursday. In the meantime, that guy doesn't mind waiting, and I found fresh Swami's IPA there, and a few bottles of Prairie Bomb. Win/Win.

 

In the last month I've managed to get fresh UJ in cans at the KOP Wegmans and fresh bottles of double jack at the Plymouth Meeting WF, but overall I agree, it's frustrating more often I fi d 2 month old Firestone products.

 

I have to agree with you. The number of cases ordered by my bottle shop which arrive from the distributor either near or after the best by date or six months or more after the bottling date is scary. Talking to other retailers in other markets leads me to believe this is not an isolated problem. Which leads me to the conclusion that either the brewers require too large of a minimum order, the distributor is ordering in too great a quantity, or that particular beer does not move once it makes it onto the shelf. In many instances, I know the distributor is ordering too much. Typically, these are AB/InBev distributors and often order craft beer in similar quantities.

 

Then people will have to stop bitching about a two month old IPA. Also, keep in mind that perishable products typically are dated to prevent liability in food poisoning cases. Do you want beer dated by the same standards?

 

I have no explanation for the old IPAs, but simply put, I won't give my money for an IPA that is 2 months old. Unfortunately I live in Utah, so I don't have the luxury of finding fresh IPAs in this beer barren state.

 

Lots of factors play in as mentioned. I'd assume most breweries put a 90-120 day shelf life on their IPAs, I know of a handful that do, and by shelf life, I mean, at x amount of days (if a production date) this product needs to be pulled and credited out by the distributor. Now that's where an issue arises, the rep himself may not care to do it as it's not a "brand" he'd get his ass chewed for if someone higher up saw it in the trade as he would say...coors light or bud light, or stone Maybe he's pinched on time, doesn't have time to pull the product form the shelf, write up a detailed credit slip, bring product to his vehicle etc. then there are some that do and try there best to pull everything as soon as it's "expired" per the breweries policy. (If the shelf life of xxx IPA is 90 days and you credit it out earlier, here's a hefty fine from abc to the retailer and distributor...adios employment)

Distributors buy a forecasted amount, to keep grocery chains stores shelves stocked, as well as package stores, the product doesn't pull because there's so many more skus and options than previously, so it sits in the warehouse longer. If they don't order enough, then there's some corporate grocery chains pissed all 70 or however many stores in an area have holes on the shelves. It's tough to earn that corporate shelf space, and if you blow it, doubt you'll be staying in the schematic next revision. Then the same applies to package stores taking it in Even more (IMO) as they'll have so many options and always getting new things. Us finicky drinkers don't repeat buy many beers, especially flagship standards like sculpin or FW beers, there are that do buy them often but wait, there's that new IPA I heard about! Skip the usual choice and get that new one! Wash rinse repeat . That's my thinking why many IPAs across the board just sit, the new hip hyped IPAs will pull quick, that beer that you tried before gets passed on by. A well known bottle shop will def sell thru product better, it's a destination...some stores that are getting into more and more craft may have trouble. Some places start giving space to craft from the big boys...manage to killer special releases even, but there's not a following there so even those beers that the case of bombers is gone in. Few hours at one store, this place sits on for a while. It's unfortunate, places want to get that higher dollar ring and better profit margin customer in the store, the distributor/brewery loves to get new placements and more sales, but it doesn't pan out as hoped. Can't blame the store, just hasn't reached the demographic yet.

Sorry for the novel, somewhat lost track while cooking all I wanted to say but my .02

 

True that. Two months would be a godsend over here ... in fact, two months is about my cutoff for whether or not to buy.